This invention relates to lawnmowers, and more particularly to switches for shutting off or killing lawnmower engine ignition systems.
According to regulations of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the rotating lawnmower cutting blade must stop within three seconds of the time that a safety lever or switch is released. To comply with this requirement, lawnmowers have typically been designed with a rotatable bale lever which is gripped and held by the operator along with a fixed handle member when the lawnmower is operating.
To stop the lawnmower, the bale lever is released. When the bale lever is released, it typically engages a switch that stops engine ignition as well as a brake and/or clutch mechanism that stops the rotating blade.
Many types of switches are known for stopping engine ignition once the bale lever is released. These switches are often complicated and are non-adjustable, so that they cannot be adapted to particular lawnmower applications.